JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -One of John Henderson’s biggest concerns this week is getting enough tickets.
He has friends, family, former teammates and people he doesn’t even know requesting seats for Sunday’s game at Tennessee, where the Jacksonville Jaguars will play in Henderson’s hometown of Nashville. He expects the final tally to be around 100.
“Cousins, third cousins, 16th cousins,” Henderson said. “This is big for me.”
Could be costly, too.
But it’s the kind of problem the 6-foot-7, 335-pound defensive lineman welcomes, especially after dealing with so many other ones the last two years.
His clothing company – For Big Men, By Big Hen – folded after opening in 2007. One of his closest friends, Marcus Stroud, was traded in March 2008. He got called out by coach Jack Del Rio for missing offseason practices in June. He also had other undisclosed personal issues that admittedly affected his play.
in this league. It’s not possible. Everybody has a bad year. You’ve just got to deal with it and go on.”
Henderson believes those days are behind him.
A Pro Bowl selection in 2004 and 2006, Henderson’s production dipped the last two seasons. He finished with a career-low 49 tackles in 2007 and 53 last year. He wasn’t pressuring quarterbacks, wasn’t stopping the run and wasn’t his usually dominant self.
Henderson’s career may have reached a low point this summer, when Del Rio ripped him for pulling out of drills and suggested Henderson wasn’t committed and was faking a shoulder injury to avoid work. They eventually worked out their differences in a private meeting, and Henderson vowed to stay committed this season.
So far, so good.
A first-round pick in 2002 who has missed just three games in eight seasons, Henderson has 23 tackles and two batted passes through six games. Although he doesn’t have eye-popping numbers, few teams have had much success running against Jacksonville’s 3-4 defense anchored by Henderson.
“They needed Big John to have fun, and that’s what I’m doing,” Henderson said.
The Jaguars (3-3) have noticed a difference.
“We are dealing with human beings, players and coaches,” Del Rio said. “Things do arise in life, and certainly that can make it more difficult for the individual involved and sometimes even affect the people around them. Glad to see where he is right now. He’s in a good place. He’s working hard. He’s worked out hard in terms of getting his body right, and he’s in a good frame of mind and playing good football for us.”
Henderson insists Jacksonville will get better.
The Jaguars played Indianapolis tough to begin the season, but were forced to switch to the 3-4 scheme on a full-time basis after losing starting defensive end Reggie Hayward. The defense has been wildly inconsistent since, ranking 31st against the pass thanks mostly to a league-low five sacks.
Jacksonville was shredded by Kurt Warner and Arizona, forced a goal-line fumble in the final minutes to beat Houston, thumped Tennessee, got blown out at Seattle and then needed overtime (and maybe a fortunate coin toss) to eke out a victory against winless St. Louis.
No one really knows which defense will show up in Nashville. But the Jaguars are certain Henderson will do his part, even if he doesn’t have friends and family cheering for him.
“Everybody always has something going on, everybody has a story,” linebacker Clint Ingram said. “It’s one of them things where you have to be able to split it up. One thing is playing ball and the other thing is focusing on your family or whatever else you have going on.
“He was never in here complaining and crying about his problems. He just handled his business. Now, he’s just playing good ball.”
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